Xiao Qinghuan

Without Ning Yu, the remaining group of personal guards had no hope, and suddenly became a bunch of headless chickens.

Guan Zhong led the guards outside the door to quickly suppress the rebellious imperial guards, and followed Xie Jue's instructions to remove their armor and not kill them, leaving a way for the private soldiers to survive, and only took their light armored weapons , tied them up one by one with ropes, and squatted in a row under the palace wall.

Jiang Ying used to have a special status as a shadow guard and could no longer appear in front of Ning Zongyuan, so she didn't follow Xie Jue in, and simply stayed outside to help Guan Zhong.He has been killing people since elementary school, and his body is as unpredictable as a ghost. After this battle, he was more or less injured, and he was the only one who retreated. It's a pity that his clothes were so bloody that he couldn't see Cleared up.

The night was cool, and the north wind was even harder to bear in this cold winter. After checking the number of people, he rubbed his arms and stood beside Jiang Ying.

"It's really hanging. Fortunately, they are all mobs." Guan Zhong sighed at the white mist, stomping his feet back and forth: "Otherwise, it's hard to say."

Jiang Ying glanced at him, seeming to agree with the mob, and unexpectedly managed to make a sound: "En."

The two of them had a tacit understanding and neither of them mentioned the harem. There are less than a hundred people left in the Shenwei Battalion, and they are beyond their reach. What about the harem, let the imperial army take care of it.

Jiang Ying couldn't bear to chat with others, so she threw the unsuitable thin knife on the ground, and leaned back against the wall to wait for news.The blood stains on his coat had already turned into frost, and they fell down with a slight twist.Jiang Ying dusted it off, and found that the blood that fell on her hands was not like blood or water, so she didn't bother to do it immediately.

Guan Zhong wandered around the door for about a stick of incense, and heard no movement inside, so he glanced at Jiang Ying, and ordered two soldiers to lead him into the hall.

Jiang Xiaohan was missing, and Jiang Ying wanted to help Xie Jue for him, so she also got up from the shadow under the palace wall and followed into the palace.

Before the two of them entered the inner hall, they bumped into Xie Jue who was walking outside.Xie Jue's spear was lost somewhere, only a saber was hanging on his waist, and a tattered piece of cloth that he didn't know where torn was in his hand, and he was struggling to stop the bleeding on the wound on his right arm.

Xie Jue didn't have time to take off the light armor and take a closer look, so he hurriedly wrapped the armor with injuries, and pulled the cloth strips tightly with his teeth.

Guan Zhongxian stepped forward to meet Jiang Ying: "General, are you all right?"

"I'm fine." Xie Jue waved his hand hastily, and walked towards Jiang Ying limping. He frowned, with an anxious look on his face: "Your Majesty was so angry that Ning Yu got sick, I'm afraid something will happen. I'm just now I want to ask you, now is the juncture of succession, where did Jiang Xiaohan go!"

"Young master's body is poisoned, I'm afraid he can't move easily, he should be nearby." Jiang Ying said: "I just don't know where he is, fortunately, Young master Yan is with him."

"Poison?" Xie Jue frowned, "What poison?"

Xie Jue has been in Ning Huaijin's residence most of the time since returning to Beijing, and Jiang Xiaohan insisted on this matter, so he naturally didn't know.

"Ning Yu was afraid that he would not be able to control the young master, so he tried to control him with poison. At that time, the young master was thinking about the overall situation, so he took it." Jiang Ying explained to him in a few words: "This medicine is very difficult to bear, and today is just a coincidence. .”

"Ning Yu is a bastard." Xie Jue scolded unceremoniously: "Then what about him now? Why don't you go find an imperial doctor quietly."

"The poison is just hard to bear when it attacks, it's not fatal." Jiang Ying said: "If you calculate the time, you should be almost fine, don't alarm others."

"En." Xie Jue pondered for a moment: "Your Majesty has already moved back to the Zichen Palace, but the other important family members are still unclear. Now I will take over the defense of Changle Palace, and I can still hide it for Mingyuan for a while. At this time, no matter what Don’t fall short, tell him to hurry up and be ahead of others... I will tell His Majesty afterward that he has been with me to organize the army, and you tell him not to worry.”

"...Yo, the young master will also take care of others."

Xie Jue turned around when he heard the sound, and saw Jiang Xiaohan coming from behind him. Although he looked pale, he was still in good spirits.Yan Qing was half a step behind him with a cold face, she seemed to be in a bad mood, and when she saw Xie Jue, she nodded lightly, not in the mood to greet him.

Jiang Xiaohan held Yan Qing's hand with a stern look, and didn't know how to let go when he saw anyone.

"If you can't walk on the road, don't be poor." Xie Jue rolled his eyes at Jiang Xiaohan dragging his lame leg, "How's your body?"

"That's good." Jiang Xiaohan said with a smile: "It's more than enough to listen to a will... But you, what's wrong with your leg?"

"The broken armor is embedded in the flesh, and it didn't hurt the bones, so it's okay." Xie Jue waved his hand casually: "Ning Huaijin has already taken Ning Yan and His Majesty to the Zichen Palace. This prince is not bad. I remind you to hurry up, Your Majesty will not wait for anyone."

"Let's go now." Jiang Xiaohan nodded, and said in a serious manner: "It's just that General Xie has made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion, but the thieves are to blame for the chaos of the imperial army. After cleaning up the fish that slipped through the net inside and outside, the general remembers to go to His Majesty to plead guilty. .”

The two important ministers, one civil and one military, looked at each other and smiled in the mess, Jiang Xiaohan patted him on the shoulder, walked around him and walked out the door.

"Jiang Ying." Jiang Xiaohan ordered: "Take Prince Gong's name card and go to the palace to bring our young master and lady into the palace. It's too chaotic tonight, and his two children will inevitably be afraid."

"Yes." Jiang Ying didn't ask any more questions, she agreed and turned around and left.

Yan Qing tried to pull his hand out, but Jiang Xiaohan held it tightly. He gave up after trying twice, let him pull, and asked, "Why did you pick up the child?"

"I'm not at ease." Jiang Xiaohan said: "It was a last resort before, but now that Ning Yu is dead, he can't put his own child in the eyes of others... I used to discuss things late into the night in the palace, staying overnight In the palace, Jiang Ying knows the seriousness."

Jiang Xiaohan said that he had already reached the door, so he reluctantly let go of Yan Qing, and recruited two horses from the soldiers of the Shenwei Battalion.He took another dose of medicine after the poison had just occurred, and tried to pull the rein when he got on the horse, thinking he could hold on for a while.

"I'm afraid there will be a big change tonight, so I won't be able to sleep for a while." Jiang Xiaohan looked back at Yan Qing, and said, "When I stay in the palace, I always live in Qingsi Hall on the west side, Ah Qing, you..."

Jiang Xiaohan wanted to tell someone to lead him to rest first, but his eyes turned on his face, and he just said this and turned back.

Mr. Jiang coughed dryly, and said uncomfortably: "...You probably don't know the way, so you accompany me to the Zichen Palace for a while, and I will take you there when things are over tonight."

Yan Qing's face turned pale, and he took the reins from the soldiers beside him: "Okay."

Ning Zongyuan had been hanging on medication before to barely see his personality, but now Ning Yu finally became the last straw that broke the camel's back. There were a total of [-] imperial physicians in the imperial hospital, who wiped off cold sweat after repeated examinations twice, and finally he was There is no diagnosis.

The important ministers outside the Zichen Hall knelt in the sapphire field outside according to their grades and waited to be summoned. The cloak on Jiang Xiaohan's body was wet with frost, and the short fur on the outside was knotted into tufts. The clan and several old princes who were present just now They have all been respectfully invited in one by one by the servants. Judging by the situation, it won't be long before it's their turn.

Yan Qing didn't have to lower his status among the crowd and wait for the summoning. He sat in the corridor not far from the second gate, his eyes crossed the crowd, and fell on Jiang Xiaohan's back.

As a clan member, Ning Huaijin was listening to the training in the palace. Shu Chuan was in poor health, and was frightened into a faint by the forced palace. Now he is still unable to get up in Changle Palace.Jiang Xiaohan knelt alone in front of all the officials, his back was straight, and a thick black cloak was spread out behind him, making him stand out from the crowd of courtiers.

It was freezing outside, and a layer of frost could form on the breath. The old servant beside Ning Zongyuan knew Jiang Xiaohan well, knew that he was not feeling well, and secretly added a cushion for him.

Xie Jue came later than everyone else, and the young man was starting to see things now, his injuries were not healed at all, and he was even more embarrassed than when Jiang Xiaohan saw him before.

The deputy commander, who had just avoided a disaster, dragged a wounded leg and walked forward step by step from the aisle of the civil and military ministers, and finally knelt down at the steps of the Zichen Palace. There was a long bloodstain behind him. Along the way, the smell of blood only penetrated into people's brains, choking and hurting people.

After about half an hour, the gate of Zichen Palace opened.Ning Zongyuan's closest old servant walked out of the gate tremblingly with his fly whisk, standing on the high steps and shouting in a deep voice.

"Left Prime Minister Jiang Xiaohan, Deputy Commander of the Divine Guard Battalion Xie Jue, Yin Xingshuo of the Jingzhao Mansion, enter the palace to meet—!"

Jiang Xiaohan lowered his eyes, lowered his head and saluted lightly, then helped the servant's hand, and stood up slightly staggeringly.

He stepped up the steps first, and never looked back at the numerous officials kneeling behind him.

The door of Zichen Hall closed behind them, and the thick wooden door creaked.

The indifferent clan members in the inner hall had already left from the apse. Ning Huaijin knelt two steps away from the bed, Ning Zongyuan lay on the bed with half-closed eyes, Ning Yan knelt beside him, holding his hand and crying Terribly.

Jiang Xiaohan untied the cloak on his chest and handed it to the palace man, and went up to persuade him: "Your Highness, don't mourn too much, lest you hurt yourself."

Ning Zongyuan's eyelids trembled on the sick bed: "Ming Yuan..."

Jiang Xiaohan knelt according to the words: "The minister is here."

Xing Shuo and Xie Jue knelt behind him silently: "Your Majesty."

Ning Zongyuan opened his eyes with difficulty, and took out a bright yellow booklet from under the quilt by his side: "...One copy of the Biography Letter is given to the clan, and the other is given to you. The Sixth Highness Ning Yan, With a gentle temperament, modesty and restraint, he should inherit the great rule."

Jiang Xiaohan accepted the imperial edict delivered by the servant, and responded: "Your servant, please remember."

Ning Zongyuan coughed. At this point, every word he can say now seems to be burning his life, every word is bloody.

"Yan'er." Ning Zongyuan took Ning Yan's hand, and patiently bent his eyes at him like a loving father: "Did you remember what my father told you a few days ago?"

Ning Yan sniffled pitifully, nodded and said, "Remember."

"Then what should Yan'er do now?" Ning Zongyuan asked again.

Ning Yan bit her lip and thought about it, then let go of Ning Zongyuan's hand with a little hesitation, and stood up.The dragon bed was still a bit high for him, Ning Yan supported the edge of the bed with his hands, climbed up with difficulty, and sat on the edge of the bed.

"That's right." Ning Zongyuan squinted his eyes and looked at him: "From today on, Yan'er doesn't have to look up to anyone. You just need to sit at the highest place and look at the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains under your feet."

"Father doesn't want to talk to Yan'er about loving the people like a son." Ning Zongyuan gasped for breath, his fingers convulsed and squeezed the brocade quilt under him: "...Yan'er just needs to remember, your emotions , Every move is tied to Jiangshan. When the emperor was angry, the mountains and rivers trembled, and Kyushu wailed."

Trembling, Ning Zongyuan stuffed a copper talisman into Ning Yan's hand, and clenched his immature fingers tightly.The bronze talisman fell into Ning Yan's hand, and the sharp edges and corners hurt his palm.

"...Yan'er, you must always remember that you are the emperor, and you must put the overall situation first."

Both Ning Huaijin and Jiang Xiaohan knelt in the hall silently. No matter how capable they were, they only had the way of being ministers in their hearts.However, the way of being a king must be taught by Ning Zongyuan himself.

And now, Ning Zongyuan is teaching Ning Yan the last lesson.

The honor of an emperor lies in his ruthlessness.

Jiang Xiaohan thought about this scene countless times, wondering what Ning Zongyuan would think in his heart when he was really dying.Be it Jiang Qiuhong or himself, the Jiang family has spent their entire lives under the palm of His Majesty trying to survive, but at the end of the day, Jiang Xiaohan's heart was devastated, and there was nothing left.

It's okay to be empty, Jiang Xiaohan no longer forced himself to think of one, two, three, and he took a step forward on his knees: "I dare to ask Your Majesty how to deal with the affairs of Fourth Highness Ning Yu."

He couldn't help asking.Ning Yu is the prince, and even if he forced the palace to rebel, he would still be the Fourth Highness. If Ning Yan was left to deal with his affairs after his death, Ning Yan would be accused of cruelty to his siblings no matter what.

Ning Zongyuan fell silent. He was silent for a long time before he whispered: "... Fourth Highness Ning Yu, died suddenly."

This is to hide the matter of Ning Yu's forced confession and rebellion. Ning Zongyuan has been cruel all his life, and finally softened his heart to his own son a little at the end.

"Preaching the decree - Zuo Xiang Jiang Xiaohan has been diligent and obedient in government for many years, loyal to the emperor and loving the people, leading the cabinet, and assisting the new emperor together with Prince Gong... Xie Jue has made great contributions to saving the family, but because of his young age, the former first-rank protector was demoted to the title , Feng Zhenguo General."

This is Ning Zongyuan's only omission.

He originally wanted to hold Xie Jue to death in the capital, and live a lifetime of glory and wealth, but he didn't want Jiang Xiaohan to make a dangerous move in the end, so he just used a rescue work to break the golden cage for Xie Jue.

"Ming Yuan." Ning Zongyuan turned his head and said with sincere emotion: "...you are indeed the most useful minister I have ever seen in my life."

Jiang Xiaohan bowed silently and made a big salute.

The crabapple jade talisman was still hidden in the interlayer of Ning Zongyuan's cuff at the end. On the night of the winter solstice, the crabapple flowers bloomed brilliantly. When he walked out the door, he realized that there was a jade talisman under his feet, and a pair of The pot is full of pear blossoms.

The light pear blossom fragrance finally passed through the four seasons, from the early spring to the cold winter.

Yan Qing outside the hall seemed to be aware of it, he took out a slightly old peace talisman from his bosom, said something silently, then crushed the talisman and scattered it into the wind.

——This is left by Lu Feng. On the outskirts of Chang'an City that day, this talisman was pressed under the plate of pickled vegetable cakes. The scraps of paper fluttered in the wind, and it was only at this moment that it found its home.

It's time.

When the gate of Zichen Hall was opened again, Jiang Xiaohan came out holding a scroll of bright yellow imperial decree. Ning Huaijin took Ning Yan's hand and stood under the golden tiles on the high platform.

How Jiang Xiaohan changed from a courtier of Ning Yu's faction to the chief assistant of the new emperor is unknown to everyone kneeling in the hall. They only know that from this moment on, the few people who are still standing will be the future.

The author says:

Thanks to Cai [-], I can’t wait for time, Bai Jian, Ziqi, Da Wang Wang Wang for feeding the fish food~Thank you very much~